Town attempts to find right balance among retail, commercial, residential

By John Aguilar Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
11/13/2012 10:52:10 PM MST

Updated:
11/13/2012 11:29:13 PM MST

SUPERIOR – The town's elected leaders, and dozens of residents who turned out Tuesday night for a boisterous discussion on changes to Superior's comprehensive plan, wrestled with how to achieve the right balance of growth as the town maps out its future.

About 50 people crowded into Town Hall for the discussion, leaving half a dozen people standing by the door.

No final action was taken by the Board of Trustees on the plan Tuesday night. They chose to revisit the issue at their next meeting.

Superior is updating its comprehensive plan – which provides a blueprint for future development patterns in the southeastern Boulder County town – for the first time since 2006. The town has identified 12 “opportunity areas” -- or vacant tracts – in its plan where it would like to see either more homes or more retail and office development.

Many residents spoke out against adding any more housing to the community of 12,500, which is largely made up of single-family detached homes.

“Where is the idea or the pressure for the housing?” asked resident Erick Danzer. “I don't think pressure for the housing is coming from any existing resident in Superior.”

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Danzer, who has lived in Superior for more than three years, said just about everybody in town would like to see the remaining undeveloped parcels in town be purchased for open space.

Trustee Joe Cirelli said he sympathized with Danzer's view but said many of the initial land use plans were set 10 to 15 years ago and that property owners' expectations and property rights are in play at this point.

Trustee Sandy Pennington said the town has to achieve the proper balance of attracting residents and bringing in sales tax revenues with the desires of adding open space and invaluable viewscapes.

“How do we keep it self sustainable while preserving its character?” she said.

Pennington asked one of the economic consultants present at the meeting how much of Superior's future should include more rooftops and how much should be dedicated to offices and stores.

“The dilemma we face here is the proper balance of residential to meet our goals and the proper balance of commercial to meet our goals,” Pennington said. “When is there too much residential? When is there too much commercial?”

Maureen Kanwischer, who lives on Andrew Drive, spoke for a large group of neighbors who live near the northeast corner of Coalton Road and McCaslin Boulevard. She said no one wants to see the houses that have been proposed for that site built there.

“Many residents are concerned that the dense residential community proposed would result in a $30,000 to $40,000 reduction in home values,” she said. “All views -- all privacy -- is eliminated. Many residents purchased their homes thinking that parcel was zoned commercial, not residential.”

Kanwischer said allowing Richmond American to build a residential community at that location would be “tantamount to a bait and switch, or even breach of contract” by the town.

“Not every undeveloped parcel in Superior needs to be developed,” she said.

By night's end, the board appeared ready to recommend that the 15-acre parcel retain its commercial zoning designation. Several trustees mentioned that a community center might work there as well.

Discussion Tuesday also focused on the future of shopping opportunities in Superior, especially given the amount of vacant retail space already in the U.S. 36 corridor.

Resident Patricia Dunham wondered if people in Superior need more coaxing to shop in town. She said with big box stores like Super Target and Costco at Superior Marketplace, it doesn't always feel like spending money at such large format stores is the same as shopping locally.

“Maybe we should do a better job of getting that out to our community that this is where we should be shopping and not two minutes down the road,” she said.

Mayor Andrew Muckle said the town has to ensure it builds a “vibrant community” and have housing stock that isn't just single-family detached homes.

Some of that diversified housing will likely come if and when the Superior Town Center is built, which would boast up to 470,000 square feet of retail, 500,000 square feet of office space and 1,000 smaller residential units.

Preliminary plans for the town center call for a walkable Main Street lined with shops and residences, tree-shaded promenades, and a grand plaza with a signature clock tower.

Consultants working on the comprehensive plan update have called the town center, which would sit at the intersection of U.S. 36 and McCaslin Boulevard, Superior's “economic engine in the long term.”

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